This week I spoke to Michel Bauwens, the founder of the Foundation for Peer-to-Peer Alternatives and works in collaboration with a global group of researchers in the exploration of peer production, governance, and property and is known for his work on The Political Economy of Peer Production. Much of his work revolves around exploring peer production as an alternative to currently existing capitalism.
For this interview we spoke mostly about his recently published P2P ACCOUNTING FOR PLANETARY SURVIVAL report which focused on ways that DLT can be used to create alternative productive relations that promote planetary survival. I ask him about his frameworks for understanding technological designs and the different types of cooperatives which can help create generative relations as opposed to extractive ones as well as why he thinks DLT and technologies like blockchain have particular properties that can help us fight against the destruction of the earth's natural environment.
Sources
P2P Foundation Wiki
Commons Transition
If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you want to see more content like this, please consider donating to my Patreon starting at just $3 per month. At the moment I’ve spent more on this 9-month old project than I’ve ever made so any amount helps. Also, sign up for the Newsletter, follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist), and join the r/CryptoLeftists subreddit to continue the discussion and give your thoughts.
Send me your questions or comments about the show and I'll read them out sometime.
ICYMI I've written a book about, no surprise, blockchains through a left political framework! The title is Blockchain Radicals: How Capitalism Ruined Crypto and How to Fix It and is being published through Repeater Books, the publishing house started by Mark Fisher who’s work influenced me a lot in my thinking.
The book is officially published and you use this linktree to find where you can purchase the book based on your region / country.